doctrine of equivalents

Definition of "doctrine of equivalents"
  1. A legal rule in patent law that holds an invention as infringing when it fulfills similar functions in a similar way to achieve similar results as a patented invention, assessed individually for each element of the patent claims
How to use "doctrine of equivalents" in a sentence
  1. The company was sued for violating the doctrine of equivalents by developing a product that behaved too similar to the patented invention.
  2. Under the doctrine of equivalents, the new smartphone app was deemed infringement as it presented no structural difference from the patented software.
  3. The doctrine of equivalents was applied to judge the patent conflict between the two tech firms.

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